Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone & Josh Brolin Feature In New ‘Gangster Squad’ Pics

W Magazine has premiered this new collection of behind-the-scenes images from Ruben Fleischer’s ’Gangster Squad,’ showcasing great looks at the likes of Josh Brolin, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Nancy McCrumb, Nick Nolte, Robert Patrick, Anthony Mackie, Michael Pena and Giovanni Ribisi on set in their 1940s garb. Warner Bros recently ushed back the release of ’Gangster Squad’ four months from its original September release date to January 11th, 2013. The move gave the studio time to re-conceive and re-shoot a pivotal set piece in which gangsters spray machine-gun fire into a crowded movie theater from behind the screen. The delay for ‘Gangster Squad’ was shifted in response to a gunman’s senseless rampage at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. At that point, the studio pulled trailers – which prominently featured the scene – from cinemas and online. The new scene was filmed in LA’s Chinatown, with the main players in the scene – Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Anthony Mackie, Robert Patrick, Troy Garity and Michael Pena - brought back for night shoots scheduled for five days in August, according to insiders.

‘Gangster Squad’ features a truly phenominal cast in Sean Penn, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin, Anthony Mackie, Robert Patrick, Michael Pena, Mireille Enos, Giovanni Ribisi, and Nick Nolte. The drama, based on a series of articles by Paul Lieberman, is the fact-based tale of the crime fighting exploits of a squad of elite Los Angeles officers in the 1940s, led by Josh Brolin’s Sgt. John O’Mara and Ryan Gosling’s Jerry Wooters, charged with stopping ruthless Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn). Screenwriter Will Beall is a former South Central Los Angeles cop who wrote the novel ‘L.A. Rex.’ Check out the synopsis and production notes for ‘Gangster Squad’ below the images. Each image features Ruben Fleischer’s notes, his note for the above image is, “In this scene, Ryan Gosling’s character, Jerry Wooters (a cop), introduces himself to Grace Faraday, played by Emma Stone. Obviously they have great chemistry.” 

“A police chase ends with a crash through a skylight and directly into this studio during a pinup shoot with Bettie Page (played by Nancy McCrumb).”

“Me and Nick Notle, who plays the police cheif, Bill Parker. In the script, he’s likened to Richard the Lionheart. Only Nolte could pull that off.”

“One of my favorite locations: Clifton’s, a real restaurant that’s been in Los Angeles since the thirties. A time warp.”

“It was hard to re-create vintage LA—there are so many tall buildings now. We had to go to the outer reaches of the city, to neighborhoods like Sylmar.”

“A turning point for Gosling’s character: A little kid gets killed by Cohen’s assassins ina shoot-out. This is when he decides to get on board—as it says in the script, “the long-sleeping cop comes to life.”‘

“The full squad: Brolin, Robert Patrick, Anthony Mackie, Michael Pena, Gosling and Giovanni Ribisi. Six amazing actors—and some of the funniest dudes ever assembled.”

“This was our very first day of shooting. Josh Brolin plays John O-Mara, a hard-nosed cop headed into the hornet’s nest—mob boss Mickey Cohen’s HQ. He’s trapped in an elevator with two thugs, but he fights his way out.”

Los Angeles, 1949. Ruthless, Brooklyn-born mob king Mickey Cohen (Sean Penn) runs the show in this town, reaping the ill-gotten gains from the drugs, the guns, the prostitutes and–if he has his way–every wire bet placed west of Chicago. And he does it all with the protection of not only his own paid goons, but also the police and the politicians who are under his control. It’s enough to intimidate even the bravest, street-hardened cop…except, perhaps, for the small, secret crew of LAPD outsiders led by Sgt. John O’Mara (Josh Brolin) and Jerry Wooters (Ryan Gosling), who come together to try to tear Cohen’s world apart. “Gangster Squad” is a colorful retelling of events surrounding the LAPD’s efforts to take back their nascent city from one of the most dangerous mafia bosses of all time.

Under the direction of Ruben Fleischer (“Zombieland”), “Gangster Squad” is a colorful retelling of events surrounding the LAPD’s efforts to take back their nascent city from one of the most dangerous mafia bosses of all time. The film stars Oscar® nominees Josh Brolin (“Milk,” “True Grit”) and Ryan Gosling (“Half Nelson,” “Drive”) as the LAPD’s Sgt. John O’Mara and Jerry Wooters, and Academy Award® winner Sean Penn (“Milk,” “Mystic River”) as real-life mobster Mickey Cohen. The film also stars Oscar® nominee Nick Nolte (“Warrior,” “Affliction”) as LAPD Chief “Whiskey Bill” Parker, and Emma Stone as Grace Faraday, Cohen’s moll and the object of Wooters’ attention.

The movie also stars Anthony Mackie (“The Adjustment Bureau”) as Coleman Harris, a switchblade-wielding cop who proudly patrols one of the most crime-ridden areas of the city; Giovanni Ribisi (“Avatar”) as the force’s Conwell Keeler, an electronics expert who takes as much pleasure in fixing his son’s bike as he does tinkering with experimental, military-grade equipment; Michael Peña (“Battle Los Angeles”) as Kennard’s over-eager sidekick, Navidad Ramirez; and Robert Patrick (“Flags of Our Fathers”) as Officer Max Kennard, a deadly cop who patrols the Olvera Street beat.

The screenplay is by Will Beall (TV’s “Castle”), based on the book Gangster Squad by Paul Lieberman. The film is being produced by Dan Lin (“Sherlock Holmes”), Kevin McCormick (“The Lucky One”) and Michael Tadross (“Arthur”). The executive producers are Ruben Fleischer, Paul Lieberman and Bruce Berman.

Joining Fleischer behind the scenes are the director’s regular collaborators, production designer Maher Ahmad and editor Alan Baumgarten (“30 Minutes or Less,” “Zombieland”), as well as Academy Award®-winning director of photography Dion Beebe (“Memoirs of a Geisha”) and Oscar®-nominated costume designer Mary Zophres (“True Grit”). The film’s composer is Steve Jablonsky (“Transformers: Dark of the Moon”).

Warner Bros. Pictures presents, in association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Lin Pictures/Kevin McCormick Production, “Gangster Squad.” The film will be distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company, and in select territories by Village Roadshow Pictures.